6,500-Year-Old Earthworks in Austria Are Thousands of Years Older than Stonehenge

Approximately 10,000 years ago, humanity experienced a significant turning point that would shape the course of civilization. This period, known as the Neolithic Revolution, signifies the transition from small, nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities, marking the final phase of the Stone Age.

As time progressed, various cultures around the globe began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals, a practice that freed up substantial time previously spent on foraging. This newfound leisure spurred a surge in advancements across various domains, including economics, politics, religion, and the arts.

The Neolithic era also witnessed the emergence of the very first civilizations. Iconic human-made structures, such as Ireland’s Newgrange passage tomb and the famous Stonehenge complex in England, were constructed during this period. Notably, the construction of Stonehenge began around 3100 B.C.E. and culminated approximately 600 years later, coinciding with the era when the Pyramids of Giza were being erected. Recent archaeological discoveries, including circular earthworks in Burgenland, Austria, which date back to the 5th millennium B.C.E. (5000 to 4001 B.C.E.), have shown they may predate Stonehenge by an extraordinary 2,000 years.

The newly unearthed site features three monumental structures located near Rechnitz, Austria. These earthworks were initially detected through aerial and geomagnetic surveys conducted between 2011 and 2017, leading to the discovery of four such structures, three of which are ring-formed and were previously hidden from view.

Identified as circular ditch systems, these structures date back to the Middle Neolithic period, approximately between 4850 and 4500 B.C.E., making them over 6,500 years old.

According to Nikolaus Franz, the director of Burgenland Archaeology, “The Rechnitz site can be considered a supra-regional center of the Middle Neolithic period.” The ditches, some reaching up to 340 feet in diameter, have revealed pits containing ceramics and evidence of post holes, indicating where timber supports might have once stood for shelter.

These circular ditch monuments, referred to as Kreisgrabenanlagen in German, are frequently found throughout Central Europe. While their precise purpose remains a mystery, many researchers theorize they served an ancient religious or ritualistic function, akin to Stonehenge, as their alignments correlate with significant astronomical events, including solstices.

Franz further adds, “The excavations present a remarkable insight into the Stone Age. We are uncovering valuable information about the Neolithic tribes who settled here, favoring this location to advance their agricultural and pastoral practices in what is now Burgenland. After eons of hunting and foraging, this gradual transition to settled life was nothing short of revolutionary.”

For those interested in further exploration, consider delving into the astounding complex of over 10,000 earthworks established by prehistoric Indigenous groups in the Amazon basin.